1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an economical ultrasonic manipulator of dental floss and an automated flossing device. More particularly, this invention relates to an economical hand tool and method of using the same that enables creep conservation of dental floss, ultrasonic vibratory motion, and a process control to manage a creep selection during a use thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gum disease is a health hazard indiscriminately affecting the young and the old. Aside from serious surgical procedures, proper dental hygiene may help minimize and even prevent the effects of the disease by removal of plaque. Consumer organizations report that the most important aspect of the dental hygiene is flossing.
Proper flossing by hand, however, is an arduous and requires great skill and dexterity to properly manipulate the floss in an effort to clean all the interdental surfaces down to the attached gingiva. An automated manipulator of dental floss reduces the amount of tedious work, perseverance, and dexterity required for proper flossing. Unfortunately, simply employing a physical holder for the floss is also insufficient to improve cleaning and necessarily greatly enhance the cost of any such item.
High cost and complex battery-powered floss manipulators are disclosed, among others, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,796 (Urso) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,382 (Moret et al.), the full contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference. In particular, each of the disclosed floss manipulators includes several mechanical units all structurally and functionally coupled to one another. One of the units is operative to displace a floss between teeth with lateral strokes guiding the floss along a floss transition path through the tight spot where adjacent teeth come in contact. Another unit is configured to reciprocate the floss in a plane which extends transversely to this transition path. Still another unit is operative to protect the teeth and gums from being hammered by moving parts that reciprocate the floss span. And yet another unit is adapted to and requires a continuously replacement of the floss span.
The units have respective drives, and in some cases multiple drives, each including a multiplicity of gear trains which selectively intermesh with one another to drive the desired unit upon actuating an input shaft continuously throughout operation (e.g., without stoppage). Gear manufacturing, particularly when relatively small-size gears are required, is a time consuming and labor intensive process driving up manufacturing costs. The maintenance of the disclosed manipulator may also be problematic due to numerous mechanical components that are not easy to replace if the situation requires such a replacement.
Necessarily, each of these devices requires a complex geometry, maintenance, and due to their complexity also frequently brake down (difficult to re-spool, retention, internal and external drive members snap etc.) Further, such devices are often broken due to over-force upon insertion between closely aligned teeth (tight fit) which over-stresses any feeding mechanism and associated gearing. Accordingly, a need therefore exists for an automated ultrasonic floss manipulator having a simple, but reliable structure and which is economical during use.
Also accordingly, there is a need for an improved method of using an economical device with manual control of any floss creep which minimizes damage thereof in an operative condition.